MP Political Crisis Highlights: As Scindia Joins BJP, Resort Politics Back In Play To Keep Flock Together

Disgruntled former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, who resigned from the party on Tuesday, formally joined the BJP today.

Scindia's decision to leave the Congress was followed by the resignation from 21 party MLAs loyal to him, bringing the Kamal Nath government in MP to the brink of collapse.

Both BJP and the Congress have decided to move their legislators outside of the state and lodge them in luxury hotels, apparently in a bid to keep their respective flocks intact.

While BJP hurried its MLAs to a luxury hotel in Gurugram in wee hours today, Congress is moving its MLAs from Bhopal to Jaipur later in the day.

Catch all the live updates here.

5:27 PM: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi denies reports that Scindia was denied time when he tried to reach Sonia Gandhi before his resignation. "He is the only chap in Congress who could walk into my house anytime," Rahul Gandhi said.

5:12 PM: Congress MLAs arrived at the Jaipur airport around 2.30 pm in a special flight from Bhopal and were received by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot along with other party leaders. The rebel Congress MLAs are staying at a resort on the city's northern outskirts and have been offered security, a senior police official said.

4:17PM: Scindia loyalist and cabinet minister Imarti Devi says she is firmly behind 'Maharaj'. "If Maharaj asks me to jump in a well, I will jump without thinking twice. Wherever he takes us, we are willing to go," she said.

4:15PM: 'Ghar Wapsi for Scindia' | Jyotiraditya Scindia's aunt Yashodhara Raje Scindia says this is a ghar wapsi for him. "Very happy that we will be in the same team now. I have always maintained that those who stood with Madhavrao Scindia had a cultured and principled loyalty not a political loyalty. If they had political loyalty they could have switched sides. This is why I am confident Jyotiraditya's loyalists won't break away from him," she said. 

4:03PM: 'Shameless' Horse-trading Being Done in MP: Gehlot | Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has accused the BJP of "shamelessly" indulging in horse-trading in Madhya Pradesh on the basis of money power. "I have been repeatedly saying that a big scam is being run in the country in the name of electoral bonds. People are being looted by scaring them with the name of CBI and ED," he said.

3:41PM: Jyotiraditya Scindia has been nominated as the BJP Rajya Sabha candidate from MP, moments after he joined the party. 

3:32PM:  "I targeted Jyotiraditya Scindia during the MP assembly polls (with the slogan Maaf Karo Maharaj) because he was the only popular leader from the Congress. Now, Maharaj and Shivraj have become one," says former MP CM and BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan

3:25PM: 'Very Confident' Govt Will Survive; Rebel MLAs Will Return: Nakul Nath | Nakul Nath, Congress MP and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's son, has exuded confidence that the party's government in the state will survive and the MLAs who have resigned will soon return to its fold.

3:15PM: "My aim has always been to serve people and politics is only a means to fulfil that. I was hurt and distressed as I was not able to serve the people in my previous organisation. Congress of today is living in denial and it is not what it used to be," says Jyotiraditya Scindia as he joins the BJP.  

3:05PM: "The primary objective of politics is to serve the people. I was no longer able to serve this objective in the Congress party," says Jyotiraditya Scindia. 

2:57PM: Jyotiraditya Scindia has arrived at the BJP headquarters in Delhi. Sitting alongside BJP President JP Nadda, the former Congress leader has now joined the BJP.  

2:41PM: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot calls Jyotiraditya Scindia an opportunist, says he should have left the party much earlier. 

2:34PM: Jyotiraditya Scindia has reached the BJP office. He will officially join the BJP in a few moments.  

2:29PM: Jyotiraditya Scindia has left his residence. He will shortly join the BJP.  

2:25PM: Mixed Reactions From Congress On Scindia Exit | As Jyotiraditya Scindia joins the BJP, there are mixed reactions from the Congress. A senior leader, a Rajya Sabha MP who did not want to be named, said "ego, greed and inability to function" are the main reasons for Scindia leaving the party. 

1:59PM: Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh have begun their counterstrike to save Madhya Pradesh government. There is no end to the drama for now. More Scindia loyalists are unsure of switching to the BJP as they fear local BJP leaders from their respective constituencies could sabotage the by-polls and they'll end up losing their assembly seat. Congress has reached out to all of them. So far, only 8 of the 20 loyalists have told Singh/Nath that they'll go wherever Scindia goes, others haven't given any commitment.

1:44PM: Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh claims 13 out of 22 rebel MLAs in Madhya Pradesh have assured "they are not leaving Congress". Singh says Congress is confident of winning floor test and asserts "we are not keeping quiet, we are not sleeping".

1:40PM: What Will Now Happen In MP? Numbers continue to be the key topic of political discussion in Madhya Pradesh after Jyotiraditya Scindia's resignation from the Congress. In the 230-member house, Congress has 114 MLAs, BJP 107, 2 BSP, 1 SP, 4 independents, 2 vacant seats. Halfway mark for the majority is 115. Read all the possible scenarios in MP here. 

1:22PM: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut assured that the Maharashtra power equations are unique and the "Madhya Pradesh virus" will not afflict Maharashtra.

1:07PM: 95 Congress MLAs Reach Bhopal Airport, To Leave For Jaipur | Amid the political crisis in Madhya Pradesh, 95 Congress MLAs have reached the Bhopal airport to leave for Jaipur. "We are going to Jaipur with our MLAs. We will stay there together," state minister Sajjan Singh Verma said. 

12:53PM: Kamal Nath Govt Will Prove Majority, Says Cong Leader Bala Bachchan | Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Bala Bachchan has said that the Kamal Nath government will prove the majority in Assembly and complete its five-year term. "Congress is in a safe and strong position. Everybody is in touch with the Chief Minister, everything will be alright soon," he said.

12:01PM: Rahul Gandhi accuses PM Narendra Modi of destabilising elected Congress govt in Madhya Pradesh. "Hey @PMOIndia, while you were busy destabilising an elected Congress Govt, you may have missed noticing the 35 per cent crash in global oil prices. Could you please pass on the benefit to Indians by slashing #petrol prices to under 60? per litre? Will help boost the stalled economy," the former Congress chief said on twitter.

11:23AM: Jyotiraditya Scindia will join the BJP today at 12:30 pm today. According to sources, several of the 22 MLAs who followed Scindia out of the Congress are apprehensive about joining the BJP and may return to Congress.  

11:15AM: Independent Madhya Pradesh MLA Surendra Singh Shera said: "The government will survive. All independent MLAs are with us. We will bring back the MLAs who are in Bengaluru". 

10:53AM: MP Cong MLAs Likely To Reach Jaipur At 11 Am | Amid the political crisis in Madhya Pradesh, over 80 Congress MLAs from the state will arrive in Rajasthan at 11am today, news agency PTI said.

9:51AM: Rajya Sabha To See Fiery Day | The Congress will raise the issue of defection in Madhya Pradesh in Rajya Sabha today after 20 of its MLAs resigned from the party which has pushed the Kamal Nath government in minority in the state.

8:43AM: Focus Rajya Sabha Elections Not Floor Test: Shivraj | Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that the party does not care about the floor test at this moment and is rather focussing on the Rajya Sabha elections.

8:41AM: Scindia Was Not Sidelined: Digvijaya Singh | Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has said that Jyotiraditya Scindia, who quit the party yesterday, was "not at all sidelined".

8:39AM: While BJP hurried its MLAs to a luxury hotel in Gurugram in wee hours today, Congress will likely move its MLAs from Bhopal to Jaipur later in the day.

8:20AM: With the political crisis in MP set to enter its third day, both the BJP and Congress have decided to move their legislators outside of the state and lodge them in luxury hotels, in a bid to keep their respective flocks together.

8:18AM: The picture in MP began to become clear on Tuesday after Scindia, along 22 MLAs loyal to him, resigned from the Congress, leaving the Kamal Nath government on the brink of collapse. 

8:15AM: Political uncertainty in Madhya Pradesh began on Monday after 18 MLAs loyal to senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia flew to Bengaluru, casting doubts over the longevity of Kamal Nath government.